Emmanuel Van Grimbergen, Ageas
In addition to his responsibilities as group risk officer and member of the management committee at Ageas, Emmanuel Van Grimbergen is the 2016 chair of the CRO Forum. This is his sixth year with the Belgian insurer, having joined on 1 January 2011 from Dutch group ING, where he worked for 18 years.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
Being a member of the Ageas management committee allows me to be involved in all relevant management discussion. As a risk manager, it is important to have a broader view and to feel the dynamics of the business in general or a specific file. This can't be achieved by being put in a corner in the organisation and by just giving your opinion on the risk related items. Risk management needs to be an integral part of the organisation, on a strategic and an operational level.
What advice would you give to someone wanting to emulate your success?
Be yourself, be humble and don't be afraid to say: "I don't know the answer but I will come back to you as soon as possible."
What will be the next big development in risk management?
In the long run, it is clear that big data, the Internet of things, driverless cars, connected homes and blockchain technology will impact the insurance industry. These are positive evolutions but with an unknown business impact, and also with new risks. In the short term, the low and negative interest rate environment challenges our business. As a consequence, the increasing search for yield implies taking more risk. It is therefore important to rethink the business model for the long term.